Merchant vessel evades pirates as mothership loiters.
Somali pirates have journeyed Northeast from Somalia into the the Northern Arabian Sea once more. Defying the poor weather conditions of the Southwest monsoon, the pirate-held fishing vessel, Shiuh Fu No.1, has been sighted hours after an unsuccessful attack on a merchant vessel off Oman.
The attack occurred June 26 at 0949 UTC in position 21:45N - 060:31E, approximately 460nm northeast of Salalah. The vessel came under attack by 2 skiffs carrying 5 armed pirates. The skiffs chased and fired upon the vessel. A pirate mothership was reported to be in the vicinity of the attack. There were no further details on the events during the attack, however, the vessel and crew successfully evaded the hijack attempt and continued safely on the journey.
Originally assessed that the vessel was conducting mothership operations and possibly to operate in conjunction with an unidentified dhow, the FV Shiuh Fu No.1 was sighted a matter of hours after the attack was carried out. At 1308 UTC in position 21:30N - 060:32E, approximately 15nm south of the attack carried out on the merchant vessel, the pirate-held fishing vessel was seen. The Pirate Action Group remains in operation in the area.
Vessels are reminded that the coalition forces' warships may not be in the vicinity of a pirate attack, subsequently, it is emphasised that seafarers can greatly reduce their chances of being pirated it they follow precautions as recommended in Best Management Practices, increasing speed and carrying out evasive manoeuvres is a proven deterrent to piracy attacks.
The use of a CITADEL DOES NOT guarantee a military response. Before owners, operators and masters commit to a policy that recommends the use of a citadel, it is important to understand the criteria that military forces will apply before a boarding to free the ship can be considered. Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating in the vicinity of the reported position of the attack and maintain maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously. Additionally, registration of vessel movement with MSC(HOA) prior to transiting the region is recommended.
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Any suspicious activity should be reported to UKMTO in Dubai in the first instance (UKMTO@eim.ae or Telephone+971 50 552 3215) and on entering the UKMTO Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) bound by Suez, 78E and 10S.
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